1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns an apparatus for the transfer of rod-shaped articles, in particular cigarettes, from a longitudinal conveyor for longitudinal axial conveying of the articles onto a transverse conveyor for transverse axial conveying of the articles. The directions of transport of the longitudinal conveyor and transverse conveyor run transversely to each other. Further, a conveyor with receptacles is provided for receiving several articles from the longitudinal conveyor and for discharging the received articles onto the transverse conveyor. Furthermore, the invention concerns a method for the transfer of rod-shaped articles, in particular cigarettes, from a longitudinal conveyor for longitudinal axial conveying of the articles onto a transverse conveyor for transverse axial conveying of the articles, in which the directions of transport of the longitudinal conveyor and transverse conveyor run transversely to each other. The method includes receiving several rod-shaped articles from the longitudinal conveyor through the use of a conveyor, rotating the conveyor to move the articles through a predetermined angle, and discharging the articles onto the transverse conveyor.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Apparatuses and methods of this kind are used in particular in the tobacco-processing industry. In a continuous cigarette rod-making machine, continuous rods of tobacco are made and usually divided into single or double-length tobacco sticks. The tobacco sticks are conveyed in their longitudinal direction and must be transferred for further processing, e.g., for attaching a filter in a filter-attaching machine. For this purpose the tobacco sticks must usually be transferred from their longitudinal axial transport direction to a transverse axial transport direction, wherein the transport directions run transversely to each other.
There are numerous apparatuses for transfer of the rod-shaped articles from a longitudinal conveyor onto a transverse conveyor. Known apparatuses have a conveyor which receives several articles or tobacco sticks arranged adjacent to each other from the longitudinal conveyor, and discharges them onto the transverse conveyor. All the known apparatuses of this kind are, however, exclusively suitable for transferring tobacco sticks arranged uniformly adjacent to each other. The tobacco sticks are for this purpose separated from continuous rods delivered uniformly adjacent to each other from a continuous cigarette rod-making machine, and guided to the transfer apparatus for further processing. However, making the continuous rods in pairs in the continuous cigarette rod-making machine has proved to be particularly advantageous. Up to now, however, only a continuous cigarette rod-making machine for making a single double rod has been known, so that the apparatuses for transfer have been designed only for the transfer of a single pair of articles. There are, however, endeavors to make continuous cigarette rod-making machines which are suitable for producing at least two double rods simultaneously.